Across Ontario there are 3.3 million caregivers – ordinary people including children and youth who are caring for family members, partners, friends and neighbours, who have physical and/or mental health challenges. These caregivers deliver roughly three quarters of all patient care, including personal, emotional and often medical care. Caregivers are the single most valuable resource to our health care system, our communities and our society at large.
Mentoring is a method of passing on lived experiences to support another caregiver in an empowering and meaningful way. Anyone who has been a caregiver will know that the caregiving role can present many challenges. These challenges will be different for every caregiver and from time to time extra support may be helpful.
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Sleep: The Caregiver's Elusive Friend
Caregiving often places significant demands on caregivers’ time, meaning that important basic needs often fall by the wayside. Regardless of how long you’ve been a caregiver, how many hours you spend supporting a loved one, family member, friend or neighbour, you may experience challenges in getting the sleep you need due to the demands on your time, or the stress that can accompany being a caregiver. The further good quality sleep is from your reach, the more negative impacts you and your care recipient may experience. Yet, quality of sleep is critical for our well-being, and research does show that when caregivers sleep better, their care recipient does benefit. So how can we improve the quality of our sleep? We hope this webinar can help!
The Ontario Caregiver Organization is proud to present Sleep: The Caregiver's Elusive Friend, on September 24th at 12 p.m. (noon) EST. Join our conversation as we talk about “All Things Sleep” for caregivers, and what this means in terms of sleep disorders, medication dependence, substance dependence and overall quality of life.
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Virtual Open House: Introduction to OCO’s free programs and services
Are you new to caregiving and looking for supports? An experienced caregiver looking for new tools and resources? Perhaps you already know the OCO and would like to know what we have coming up this fall?
Whether you’re just curious or seeking practical information on what the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) can do to help caregivers, this webinar will present information, resources and supports for caregivers in every step of their journey.
All of our programs and services are free, available online through a number of convenient and easy-to-use formats such as video conferencing, webinars, downloadable information, with options for phone, chat and email support. If you’re more comfortable with individual programs, group meetings or need other types of information, this webinar can help you better understand what’s available to support caregivers. You might even find something you’d like to share!
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Are you a caregiver?
In 2020, the Ontario Caregiver Organization launched the caregiver advisory panel; a panel of over 150 caregivers who have shared their stories and experiences with us and answered a wide range of questions to help shape the future of caregiver supports in Ontario.
We are looking to expand panel membership to best represent Ontario’s population. If you’re a caregiver (or have been in the past), and you live in Ontario, we’d love for you to join!
This province-wide online discussion forum is an ongoing opportunity for caregivers to provide regular input and feedback on some of our caregiver-focused ideas, tools and programs, and be surveyed on different aspects of the caregiving experience on a regular basis. Your input can be provided online and you can choose when you want to participate.
We are actively seeking applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds including but not limited to gender, gender expression, race, ethnicity, creed, colour, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, religion, abilities, professions, educational backgrounds, and location in Ontario. Applicants must be over 16 years of age.
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Registration for SCALE reopens in October 2020!
The SCALE Program webinars are designed to focus on a series of subjects that are applicable to new or experienced caregivers positioning you and your well-being at the centre of the sessions.
The program consists of:
a series of six weekly webinars,
online group coaching,
one-on-one, individualized telephone counselling.
The weekly webinars cover a number of topics of interest to caregivers:
• The Caregiver Role
• The Care Recipient’s Experience
• Effects of Caregiving on the Body-Mind
• Overcoming Painful Thoughts & Emotions
• Self Compassion and Mindfulness
• Communicating with the Healthcare Team
As a completely flexible program designed to meet your unique needs and schedule as a caregiver, the SCALE Program (Supporting Caregiver Awareness, Learning and Empowerment) aims to empower you with practical information and skills to enhance self-awareness with a focus on your own needs and well-being.
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Hearing Your Voices Virtual Patient Conference
Save the Date:
November 3rd-4th, 2020
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What have we learned about how technology is shaping patient experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Hearing Your Voices is your opportunity to participate in a virtual event where patients, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals come together to share their COVID-19 experiences, hear engaging panelists and speakers, and make recommendations for the design of a compassionate digital healthcare system*.
*There is no fee to attend. Registration opens in September.
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Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more updates on OCO programs and events, and share this newsletter with a friend! |
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